In the metal refining and processing industry, among others, high temperature by-products are frequently produced. In the past, it has been somewhat problematic to safely dispose of such by-products.
Slag is just one example of a high temperature by-product that is produced during the processing of metals, such as, for example in steel-producing furnaces. When slag is removed from these furnaces (e.g., for disposal), it may typically be at a temperature in the approximate order of about 1100 degrees Celsius (° C.)—though the precise temperature may vary depending on the exact processes and furnaces owing to its formation, and/or on the materials used in such furnaces. In any event, slag may heretofore have caused great harm, injury, and even death to persons coming into contact therewith. As such, it may heretofore have been desirable and/or necessary to minimize the handling of slag (and other materials of similar nature). Of course, any handling of such materials may also have required a great amount of care, with a concomitant and costly expenditure of time and effort.
In the prior art, “slagpots” may have been used to receive slag from furnaces, so as to allow rudimentary handling of the slag during transportation and/or disposal processes. Prior art slagpots may typically have been constructed as one-piece castings that had a substantially frusto-conical shape, tapering from top to bottom, with a slag carrying capacity of somewhat less than about 20 cubic meters (i.e., less than about 700 cubic feet). The aforesaid frusto-conical shaping of prior art slagpots may have been generally undesirable, insofar as it may have contributed to an inherent instability in the slagpots which may have been prone to tipping and the like—an exceedingly dangerous occurrence when dealing with very high temperature slag. Discrete supporting structures may also have been required the to engage and stabilize prior art slagpots, so as to maintained them in a slag-receiving position and/or in a slag-retaining position. Again, the use of such supporting structures may have tended to subject such structures, and any associated human operators, to significant harm and/or damage.
In addition, prior art slagpots may have been at risk of exploding when filled with high temperature slag. Such explosions may also have previously caused, for example, damage to expensive equipment, and emergency shutdowns of facilities (and the loss of productivity associated with the subsequent downtime). These likelihood of such possibilities, and the risk of serious injury or death, may be generally thought to increase in dependent relation upon the amount of slag contained in the slagpot, generally rising with the use of higher capacity slagpots. Because of the potential for life-threatening harm and permanent injury which may arise as a result of such an explosion, it may be desirable to minimize any such risk of explosion—regardless of whether such an explosion might be due to the casting process, material defects, any thermal stresses arising during a build-up of heat inside the slagpot, and/or the weight of the slag and the slagpot itself.
It may have been generally thought to be desirable to utilize a multi-stage process for the disposal of slag. In prior art multi-stage processes, slagpots may have been loaded, for example, onto a conveyor or a rail system. The slag may then have been loaded into the slagpots at a first location, such as, for example, close to the furnace, with the conveyor or rail system thereafter moving the slagpots to a second location, whereat they may have been loaded—perhaps one by one—onto a transport vehicle, possibly requiring the use of a dedicated vehicle for that purpose. In the prior art multi-stage processes, the transport vehicle may then have been used to move the slagpots to a third location, where the slag was dumped or otherwise disposed of. Prior art multi-stage processes of this general type may have entailed a large number of handling steps and may have required that the slag remain in the slagpots for a significant length of time. It may be desirable to minimize this length of time, so as to minimize any likelihood that the slag might otherwise harden as it cools. It is also possible that, when slag remains in a slagpot for a significant duration, the risk of explosion (and/or container failure to retain the slag) may increase. In addition, a greater number of moves between multiple locations may heretofore typically have involved more handling steps, possibly increasing the risk of spillage, explosion, and/or other potentially catastrophic incidents.
In the prior art, dedicated vehicles which may have been involved in loading filled slagpots onto transport vehicles, may have been provided with arms adapted to engage and move the slagpot from a rail car (or another vehicle) to a secondary (or tertiary, etc.) transport vehicle. In some instances, these arms may have been prone to breakage and/or melting under the stress and/or heat from the loaded slagpots. Such dedicated vehicles may also have tipped and/or become unstable whilst loading and/or moving the filled slagpot. Again, such unfortunate incidents could result in any one or more of the many dire consequences discussed above. Accordingly, it is highly preferable to minimize the number of handling steps and the length of any one handling step.
In some prior art systems, the transport vehicle itself may have been articulated, possibly with the aim, inter alia, of enhancing the maneuverability thereof. Unfortunately, such designs sacrifice stability and may lead to an increased risk of spillage of high temperature slag from the slagpots transported by such transport vehicles. In particular, articulated units may have had a tendency to become unbalanced, thereby increasing the potential for spillage and/or other incidents. This risk may have been increased by the aforementioned instability of the slagpots themselves. Articulated transport vehicles of this general type (and/or any transport vehicle that exhibits a high degree of instability) may have also been known to encounter serious difficulties at the dumping location, upon attempting to expel or release the high temperature slag from the carried slagpot. That is, in attempting, for example, a controlled tipping or inversion of the slagpot, so as to allow release of the slag therefrom, the transport vehicle may have itself been at risk of tipping. Parts of the transport vehicle may also have been subject to failing under the stress of the loaded slagpot. In either case, the results may heretofore have been catastrophic, particularly for the operator of the transport vehicle, and/or any persons or equipment located proximal to the dump location.
In addition, if any problems did occur with the prior art transport vehicles, subsequent to receipt of the slagpot thereon, it may heretofore have been exceedingly difficult (and/or impossible) to remove the slagpot therefrom, such that the slag therein may thereafter have solidified. In such instances, much time could be lost both in dealing with the issue of the hardened slag, and in repairing and/or replacing the transport vehicle itself.
It is an object of this invention to obviate or mitigate at least one of the above mentioned disadvantages of the prior art.